Instructions

FOR THE CHICKEN

• Add your onions to the pot and sauté until light and translucent.
• Add your chicken breast to the onions and stir well.
• Season with saffron, turmeric and salt and stir well.
• Cover pot with lid so that the juices from the chicken and onions caramelize and create a sauce which you will use in layering.
• Cook on medium/low heat and set aside while you work on your rice.

  FOR THE RICE

• After you have washed and soaked your basmati rice add it to boiling water and bring it to par boil. This is where it’s not hard but also not soft, think al dente.
• Drain your rice into a strainer and rinse it with cold water. Rinsing it with cold water prevents it from continuing to cook while hot.
• Set aside and work on your yogurt mixture.

  YOGURT SAFFRON MIXTURE

• Mix all of your ingredients together and whisk it until your mixture is a deep yellow. Taste test to make sure your salt and pepper is to your liking.
• Add in your basmati rice and coat all the rice into the mixture. When mixing the rice, stir gently so that you don’t break any of the grains of rice.

  BARBERRIES

• Melt butter and sauté your barberries gently being mindful not to smash them rather allow them to puff up as they cook.
• Add sugar once barberries have puffed up and coat the barberries well with the sugar.
• Add rose water to the barberries and do not overcook so the rose water doesn’t evaporate.

  ASSEMBLY

  Shred your cooked saffron and turmeric chicken and add some of the caramelized juices from the pot on the chicken. Oil your glass baking dish and add your first layer of the rice and yogurt mixture throughout. Then add your second layer which is the chicken, and lastly add your third layer of the remaining rice and yogurt mixture. Top off with melted butter and cover the glass dish with foil. Add some slits to the foil to release heat while baking.Bake at 400 degree for 1.5 hours. After 1.5 hours, remove your casserole from the oven and take off the foil. Take a knife and run it along the sides of the casserole to help with removing the tahcheen. Place a serving platter (or in my case I used a cutting board) over the baking dish and serving platter and flip / invert. Don’t forget to use gloves as your baking dish will still be hot.

  Decorate. Serve. Enjoy. Nooshee jan!